A woman panhandling on the subway in Brooklyn punched a four-year-old boy in an unprovoked attack Friday, cops said.
The little boy and his family were on the Manhattan-bound A train near the Euclid Ave. subway station in East New York at about 11:30 a.m. when the woman approached them and asked for money before punching the boy in the chest, police said.
The attack was unprovoked, according to cops.
The boy received medical attention at the scene and was not seriously harmed, police said.
The woman, who appeared to be in her 40s, ran off and was still being sought by authorities Friday. She was wearing white slippers, according to a police source.
Although crime has declined around the city overall, crime across the city’s vast transit system is up slightly so far this year, with a 3% increase compared to last year, according to NYPD statistics.
About half of the crimes in the transit system are non-violent thefts. Felony assaults make up about 31% of crimes in transit.